The Midwives 

Photo Credit: BarryMoore Photography

Elaine Keller-Duemig, CNM

Elaine was so thrilled to have joined Central Park Midwifery in 2013. Before joining Central Park Midwifery, Elaine worked with a physician in a busy private practice in New Jersey and attended births at Holy Name Medical Center. She was excited to have returned to practice in New York which is where she trained and currently lives.

Becoming a midwife was Elaine's dream for many years. During her journey to midwifery, she earned a bachelor's degree in Women's Studies and a certificate in LGBT studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Having never lived anywhere outside of Wisconsin, Elaine chose to move across the country to Connecticut to earn her nursing degree at Quinnipiac University. After working as a labor and delivery nurse, she followed her dream of becoming a midwife and moved to New York to attend Columbia University to earn her midwifery degree while at the same time working as a nurse. For about 9 months, Elaine worked at Roosevelt Hospital as a nurse and she always wanted to return as a midwife. Elaine has worked and trained in many different settings but favors the continuity and close relationships that develop with women and their families while working in a private practice setting.

Elaine lives in Harlem with her husband, Fred, and their two cats, Penny and Harry.

Jo Zasloff, CNM

​Jo started working  in the office and attending deliveries for Central Park Midwifery in 2015. At CPM, she hopes to create a space where all women are supported by a team who believe in a woman's power and ability to birth naturally. 

Jo holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a master’s degrees in Midwifery from Columbia University School of Nursing. She began her career as a midwife at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City in 2008.  She has also worked at two very busy private practices in Brooklyn and Manhattan. In Brooklyn she attended many deliveries and cared for women of all ages and religions. In Manhattan she focused on Holistic Gynecology,  Family Planning and Sexual Health Education. Before becoming a nurse midwife, Jo worked as a Sexual Health advocate for sex workers in the Mission District of San Francisco. She also spent time learning and training with midwives and herbalists in Ghana and India.  Jo is currently working towards her Herbal Medicine for Women certification. 

Jo lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, Uma, who was born in 2012. 

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Medical Receptionist 

Melissa Santiago

Melissa has been with CPM since 2012.  She is always available to help with scheduling appointments and paperwork needs. Melissa is a trained phlebotomist and is also a labor and postpartum doula. She feels very passionate about women's health, pregnancy and childbirth.  Melissa will soon be finishing her undergraduate degree in psychology at Hunter College and hopes to continue on to nursing school after graduation.

Melissa lives with her mom and spends most of her free time creating spectacular baked goods, which she sometimes brings into the office to share. 

Our History 

Georgia Rose, CNM

Central Park Midwifery was started by Georgia Rose. 
Georgia was in private practice for 14 years and attended over 1600 deliveries. Even after all of those deliveries, she was still amazed and in awe of the wisdom of birth and the power of women. "Each woman has an innate knowledge of how she will give birth because she comes from a long line of successful mothers." Georgia wanted to help each woman discover this wisdom and to encourage and support her unique journey to a positive and joyful birth experience.

In 2013, Georgia decided to expand the practice and prepare for her upcoming retirement. Elaine joined Georgia in December 2013. 

In 2015, Jo Zasloff joined the practice. Together Elaine and Jo plan to continue to carry on Georgia's legacy and wisdom.